The boy who woke
by Lily98tn
Summary: !DARKHARRY! !SLYTHERINHARRY! Harry Potter has been in a coma for three years of his childhood. He wakes up at age nine and runs away from the hospital. He grows up on the streets until he gets his hogwarts letter. How will this drastically change his life?
1. The boy in my class

There was always something a bit odd about the boy in my class. I could never place it. He was quiet, timid, polite, well-behaved, and exceptionally bright for a six year old boy, but there was something horrible hiding behind those emerald green eyes. Pain, secrets, knowledge that no boy of his age should ever had possessed. I first suspected abuse, but there was never a mark visible on the child. The boys cousin seemed just fine and showed no signs of abuse at all. Maybe the boy was just so small because of a fast metabolism. Maybe he just had an awkward personality. I'll never know for sure, but something about that child never sat right with me.

I had the feeling something was wrong the moment that I noticed his seat empty in my class. He had never missed class before. Of course, children do get ill quite often and I child missing class isn't rare, so I let it slide.

God how I wish I had said something that day...maybe then...

But that's not important. What is important is that I could tell something was wrong. And when one day turned into one week, I finally asked the boy's cousin where he'd disappeared to.

"Freak left and I don't really care." Was all that the horribly misbehaved child could say. I was shocked at the fact he had just called his own cousin freak, but I didn't let my emotions shine through on my face. I kept it hidden.

I called the boys Aunt and uncle to ask about his whereabouts and they said he was so ill he had died in the night, and that they had been so overcome with grief they had not thought to call the school. Grieving parents, they said. But that didn't sit right with me either. Something didn't add up. The boy's cousin surely would have said something about attending a funeral had I asked his where the boy was.

I called the police...too little too late, I know. I should ha e called sooner but I didn't know what they would find. The details were left unknown to me since I had no relation to the child, but the extent of the abuse he suffered at the hands of his relatives so so extensive they weren't sure if he would ever awaken from the coma. To this day he hasn't woken up but I go see him every once in a while. It's the least I can do for being such an I observant adult. I look at his face and imagine his eyes opening to reveal their beautiful emerald green color, but so far I've seen nothing.

His cousin was taken into custody and put into a foster home and I haven't seen him since. His aunt and uncle were arrested and given 20 years in prison...not near a harsh enough punishment if it were up to me.

The boy deserves to live a full life, not be an angel stuck in between worlds. Every day he still breathe is a chance that he has at life.

I will never make the same mistake again.

I will never forget that boy.

I will ever forget Harry Potter.

 **Hello!! This story is going to be from Harry's perspective from now on, but I thought this was an interesting was to give a back story!! Thnx for reading.**


	2. The Runaway

I took a deep breath and then sighed, my lungs feeling like they had not fully expanded in years. It was then I noticed something weird. If felt as if a million tiny snakes were coming off of my body. I wiggled my fingers to get a feel of them before opening my eyes. Not snakes. Wired and tubes. I turned my head in as many directions as possible to get a bearing on my surroundings. I was ina hospital. Uncle would be mad, very mad. I knew I had to leave. I sat up as monitors started going off all around me. Heart rate monitors and oxygen intake monitors, lights blinking and numbers flashing. I ripped IVs and tubes out of my arms and wrist before standing and running. I vaguely remember hearing exclamations of shock and people telling me to wait. I didn't make it very far without collapsing, not even to the elevator. It was almost as if my legs had not been used in a significant period of time. I was picked up by a nurse and carried back to my bed and softly explained my situation.

A coma

Uncle had finally snapped and beaten my into a coma. Dudley was put into foster care. My aunt and uncle were in prison. I was no longer six, but nine, almost ten! I had some mild muscle degeneration in my legs due to my lack of using them, but with proper physical therapy the would heal, and after I was cleared to leave the hospital I would be out into foster care just as Dudley had been. After everything was explained I simply nodded, feeling numb and unable to articulate words. Then I was left alone once more.

They called it a miracle that I was completely healed and all signs of muscle degeneration were gone in less than a week. I didn't understand how I healed so fast but I knew now was the time to act. I didn't want to go into foster care and hold services was supposed to pick me up in three hours. No longer were there any IVs connected to me, so I felt able to escape faster than last time. I started running again down the same path as the first time. Except this time I made it to the elevator, to the bottom floor, out the door, down the street, and almost a mile from the hospital before he had to stop running. I looked around, painfully aware that I was just in a hospital gown, and saw that there was no one around me. I stole a pair of pants that were around my size from a clothesline and began walking through alleyways and hiding in shadows in case anyone were to come looking for me.

I'm lucky I wasn't wondering around on my own for days, and that it was only a couple of hours before I found them.

I was in an abandoned alleyway...or an alleyway I believed to be abandoned, when I saw a shadow of a girl. I was scared at first, but then the girl popped out from behind a pair of trash cans and I saw she was only around my age. She was wearing an oversized t-shirt as if it were a dress and her bushy hair looked like it hadn't ever been maintained. I don't know how I managed to form words in my shock, but I did manage a simple, "hello", and the conversation that followed changed my life.

"You don't look like you belong in the streets."

The girl looked my over. I was surprised at how articulate her speech was considering it appeared she had no family.

"I just got here" I said dumbly, looking at her closely now. She seemed to be relatively clean and well fed and I began to rethink my first impression. Perhaps she wasn't like me after all.

"Where are you sleeping tonight?" The girl asked approaching me slowly and cautiously.

"I thought right here?" I didn't understand why this girl had taken such an interest in me, but I couldn't help but answer her questions.

"Well, that won't do." She said, suddenly approaching me quicker. "The owner of that bakery there just absolutely will not stand for it. I tried sleeping here two Saturdays ago and got hit in the shoulder with a rolling pin. Bruise is all healed up now though." She held out her hand to me and I took it. She lifted me up off the ground and then smiled at me like she had just helped me perform some horrible hard task. "Follow me and I'll show you where we all sleep."

I followed her obediently, thinking about how many others there may be. We made it out of the alleyway and down two streets before she tuned back to me again, causing me to almost run into her.

"I'm Hermione Granger by the way, and you are?"

I looked at her for only a second before responding. "Harry, Harry Potter."

"Nice to meet you, Harry! Sallie will love having another little brother around!"

And with that statement she kicked an old crate out from next to a building, revealing a hole. She climbed through and motioned for me to do the same. My eyes didn't adjust to the dim light very well, but once we were on the other side of the building I saw three other people sitting around a makeshift table, splitting a single orange evenly.

"Harry, meet Sallie, Jackson, and Gretchen. Your new family...plus myself of course."

The eldest girl looked up from her food and towards me, offering a soft smile. "Where'd you find him, 'Mione?"

"Behind the bakery." Hermione responded as she approached the table and took an orange slice.

The introductions only took a couple minutes and then I was welcomed into their makeshift family with open arms. Sallie...the oldest at 15, acted like a mother to the others. Jackson, 11, was her biological little brother. Their parents had died in a fire and the two of them escaped abusive foster parents and began living in the streets on their own. A year later they found Gretchen, who was just a newborn baby. Someone had thrown her out it a trashcan and they had heard her screaming. Now she was four years old and called Sallie, "mama", and Sallie was the only mother she had ever known. Hermione had just turned ten, and had been living with the other three for a little less than a year. Her parents had died in a car crash, and she was the only survivor. She ran away from the car before the police could even arrive, and she didn't ever want to go into the foster care system so she stayed with Sallie. I told them my story and they offered me food and a place to stay.

I had no idea how being a street kid would impact the rest of my life.


	3. The snake attacks

I had been staying with my new family for a little over three months. My tenth birthday had long gone and now it was almost time to celebrate Sallie's sixteenth birthday! She said she wanted nothing, but me and Hermione thought we would surprise her with a cupcake from the bakery that was down the street.

Hermione entered the bakery and began screaming for her mother as a distraction, a distraction that worked quite well. It was my job to steal a cupcake off the top of the counter, any flavor or decoration, and then run back out without getting cought. It would have been the perfect plan if it weren't for one design flaw, the bakery owner recognized Hermione as the girl he had hit with the rolling pin.

I was caught immediately and dragged out into the back alley, Hermione following close behind like a protective older sister. The man was so angry that his face had turned purple and he had spit dribbling down his chin.

"You think you can steal from me, do ya?" He asked while reaching for his trusted rolling pin once again. "I'll give ya more than just a bruisin' this time, love!" And he raised his hand to strike.

That's when I heard it. " _The ratssss are all gone!!!"_

The tone was light and airy, every syllable sounding almost like a hiss. I couldn't see who had spoken but I called out for help anyways. I closed my eyes in fear of being struckbut if I had left them open I would have noticed Hermione and the baker staring at me as if I had two heads.

" _The man Who got rid of rats dare try to harm the speaker? Speaker shall not be harmed!"_

I only opened my eyes when I heard Hermione scream. It was then I saw a snake, long, beautiful, and jet black, had bit the baker on the neck. More like mutilated his neck...the baker was almost beheaded.

The snake looked at me expectantly before creating a motion that was similar to a bow. Instinctively I responded. " _I have only heard rumors of the two legged creatures that can speak our tongue."_

My eyes went large as I realized the snake was speaking to me. And I could understand it.

"Is the snake going to attack us, Harry?" Hermione asked. I looked at the snake and repeated Hermione's question in what I now know was parseltongue.

The snake responded with a hissy laugh.

" _Harm the speaker and speakers nest mate? Never. I shall protect speaker and speaker's nest mates."_

The snake then did something that I will never forget: it shrunk. It shrunk down to a size that I would be able to carry it into my palm. Me and Hermione looked at eachother before I bent down to pick up the snake.

"Harry...how can you speak to the snake?" Hermione asked me.

"I don't know...it's just english to me." I answered. Holding the snake in my hand as she let out a content sigh."

"We are going to the library!" Hermione said, dragging me by my arm. All thoughts of the cupcake gone.

It took four hours of research before Hermione reached her conclusion: I had to be magical.


	4. The Night on The Edge

I had never seen someone die before, and I couldn't sleep for two nights after what happened to the baker. The images of his bloody neck kept running through my head. I sat up from my section of the floor and folded my blanket neatly. The snake, whom I named Celeste, was sound asleep on the rafter above me. I looked over and saw Hermione's blanket neatly folded as well. I began walking up towards the roof of the abandoned building, which is where I knew she would be.

I walked up the staircase and peaked my head around the corner. I saw her immediately. Her legs were dangling over the edge and she had her chin resting in her hands. "Hermione?" I asked sitting down next to her. Her eyes darted over and met mine, a silent cry to not talk about past events lingered between us for a couple seconds. "What kind of magic thing do you think I am?" I asked, looking towards the sky.

"I don't know Harry. You aren't a werewolf because you aren't affected by the moon." She answered, causing me to notice for the first time that the moon was full. Hermione sighed and pulled her legs up to her chest.

" _Silly girl! The speaker can be but one creature!"_ I turned around and saw Celeste, in her tiny form, slithering up the wall and towards my shoulder.

" _What am I, Celeste?"_ I asked, gently petting the top of her head with one finger. Her eyes closed, and she hissed contently. I smiled at her happiness and then turned to look at Hermione. She was smiling as well, having become completely used to my snake-talking habit.

" _A wizard. And your nest-mate a witch."_ My eyes widened and I took a sudden intake of breath.

"What is it Harry?" Hermione questioned worriedly. She had turned her body so that she was looking towards me yet still sitting on the ledge.

"Celeste said I'm a…a wizard." I answered her while still looking at Celeste. It wasn't until I turned to look at Hermione that the full implications of what Celeste had said hit me. "But she also said you're a witch!"

Hermione gasped and looked at Celeste. "Is that true? Am I witch?" Celeste didn't respond to her, only slithered towards Hermione and wrapped herself around her arm. "What does this mean, Harry? What can we do?"

Before I could answer her, we both heard a very loud voice from behind us.

"Magic"

I gasped and Hermione began to fall, but I was able to catch her before she completely lost her balance. We turned around to come face to face with Sallie and Jackson.

"Sorry dears, I didn't mean to scare you." Sallie said, sitting down on the roof. Jackson soon followed and sat down directly next to his sister. "Jackson can do magic too. He got a letter this year, some school of magic called pig-pimples or…Hogwarts or something. But we didn't know how to answer… so we didn't." Sallie said, Jackson nodded before holding out his hand.

"Let me show you what I can do" Jackson said, his dirty blonde hair falling into his eyes. I nodded mutely and touched his hand before an onset of memories overtook me.

I could see the moment that Jackson was born. The moment he said his first word, took his first steps, the moment his house caught fire and he heard his parents dying. His baby sister burning with them…his sister I didn't even know existed. Sallie screaming into the flames and him crying, the two of them being beaten by foster parents before their escape, the two of them finding the abandoned building, finding Gretchen in the trashcan and Hermione blood covered and scared on the highway…me following Hermione home…I saw every moment of his life.

I jerked my hand away after what felt like hours even though it was only seconds. "How?" I asked, earning shrugs from the siblings.

"We don't know. He's been able to do that since he was a toddler. Show everybody anything he wanted through touch alone." Sallie said, looking towards the ground. Jackson simply nodded.

"That's what you wanted to show me?" I asked, and he nodded again. "Will you show Hermione?"

Witnessing Jackson's power and experiencing it were two different things. Hermione's eyes glazed over and she stopped breathing for three seconds while she touched his hand. She jerked her hand away quickly with tears in her eyes. "I'm so sorry…" was all she could say.

The four of us and Celeste sat together in an uncomfortable silence until the sun came up. As everyone turned to go back inside, I asked one final question. "Jackson, when did you get your letter?"

He stopped, surprised that someone decided to speak, before answering. "On my eleventh birthday."

Hermione tapped my shoulder after Jackson and Sallie had disappeared down the hall. "My eleventh birthday is in less than a month, and yours just a few!" She said.

"Well, then I guess we should figure out how to respond to those letters." I answered, both of us smiling widely.


	5. The supplies

The supplies  
Hermione and I spent the next week gathering supplies that we thought we would need to reply to a letter. Paper and pen were, of course essential, and surprisingly easy to come by. All we had to do was ask the Librarian to loan us some and she happily obliged. Stamps and an envelope were slightly harder to find. The post office, as it turns out, will not just simply give those things away. One must purchase them, and we had no money. We tried looking for change on the ground, asking for spare change, and when that ended up being a useless endevor, we sent Celeste out search bushes and tall grass for anything she could find. After two days we only had enough to buy half of a stamp, and we needed two. And two envelopes.  
We sat around the makeshift table in the abandoned warehouse with little Gretchen. We had been given the task of watching her while Sallie and Jackson went out in search for food. I had asked Jackson to be on the look out for spare change and told him that if we could reply to out letters, we would mention him. Maybe it wasnt to late for him to come to this magic school either, and we could all go together. He liked this idea immensely, and went off to hunt food with Sallie more willingly than ever before. Gretchen was banging her hands on the top of the table as if trying to make some sort of song, but she was failing to do so, when she suddenly stopped.  
"You could do what they be telling us notta do." Gretchen said, her broken, toddler english beginning to improve enough for us to actually understand her.  
"What do they tell you not to do, Gretchen?" Hermione asked, looking at her hands as if they would hold the answer to all of our problems.  
"Take money from the peoples." She said joyfully, as if what she had said wasn't illegeal and dangerous. Of course, she didn't know that it was. She was simply trying to be helpful, as she had been.  
"We have to, Hermione. It's our only hope if Jackson comes back empty handed." I said, looking at Hermione with wide eyes and a new found determintation. When Hermione's eyes rose to meet mine, I kept my gaze steady and tried not to show the fear I was feeling.  
"Are you saying that you believe we should start pick-pocketing people?" Hermione asked, standing up and pacing. She was clearly aggetated by the suggestion, but she also looked contemplative. As if perhaps the idea wasn't horrid.  
"What else would you have us do, Hermione? Sit about and have no way of mailing a response letter? No way of learning magic? I want to learn, Hermione! You want to learn, Hermione! Think of all the new magic books and spells and people and places." I stopped myself suddenly, because I realized that I didn't know if this magic school would have those things. I knew nothing about real magic, only fairytales. This place could be horrid for all I knew, but Hermione seemed excited by the end of my speech and turned around to face me as abruptly as I had stopped speaking.  
"Alright. I'll do it. We'll do it. Whatever it takes." She said, coming up to me and giving me a tight hug.  
"Whatever it takes", I echoed into her shoulder.  
It was at that moment that Sallie and Jackson returned through the tunnel and help out a roll, two apples, a pear, and half of a delightful smelling pizza which someone had undoubtedly thrown away.  
Jackson walked over to us and shook his head. "Couldn't find nothing, but I got distracted by findin' this half ate pizza and didn't think about looking nearly the whole way back." He said, apologetically. Hermione and I just shrugged and Jackson and looked at eachother, knowing what we would do after dinner. Hermione's birthday was coming up fast, and we had to be completely prepared.  
After eating, while Sallie was cleaning pizza grease of of Gretchen and Jackson had dissapeared to the roof as usual, Hermione and I snuck out through a broken window and down the street. Street lights were just starting to come on and people beginning to scatter, so we knew we had to work fast. We seperated, each going to different sides of the road. It took about twenty minutes and two close calls before we got caught, as neither of us were experienced at pick-pocketing. It was honestly a miracle that we had gotten what we did.  
Hermione and I shoved our pickings into our shoes before entering the warehouse again. We knew Sallie would have just put Gretchen to sleep and would be waiting for us to come home while talking with Jackson, and we didnt want either of them to know what we had just done. Niether of them noticed us except for a glance to make sure we werent a threat, and the two of us headed off to where we slept and pretend to be exhausted as we counted our earnings. We were overjoyed to find we had enough money for everything we needed, and perhaps a nice breakfast in the morning.  
Hermione and I fell asleep holding hands and feeling happier than we had in a long time. My last thought before falling asleep was of Hermione and how she was the perfect sister I could have ever wanted. Celeste slithered up beside me and I whispered to her, _"I wish there was some way for Hermione and I to really be siblings._ " And then I closed my eyes, the last thing I heard being Celeste's response.  
" _There is, dear speaker. There is a way."_


	6. The Alley Awaits

Diagon and Knockturn Alley.

When I woke the next day, I saw everyone but Celeste still sleeping. I sat up and stretched as I began looking for my pet snake. I eventually did find her hanging from one of the rafters like I typically did in the mornings.

" _Hello ssspeaker. Have you decided to make your nessst mate your ssibling in blood?"_ She looked at me with an odd gleam in her eye, as if she was giving me information that she knew I couldn't...or at the very least shouldn't...have.

I nodded slowly, intrigued by the idea of having a real blood relation and knowing that whatever Celeste was speaking off would have to involve magic. The excitement was so overwhelming that I felt I couldn't breath. I didn't know what Celeste knew about witches and wizards, but if she knew of a spell to make Hermione and I blood related, then she must know a lot. " _What will I need Celeste? Will it be hard to get?"_

Celeste appeared to nod in response. " _Candles, five of them. and a knife. a special book that only wizards or witches can get from the store that only wizards and witches can see."_ She slithered down off of the rafter and onto my arm. " _I can take you to this store. You can buy the book with the money you have."_ She said.

I could hardly contain my excitement. A real spell book, and it could make me and Hermione related by blood! I had to tell her the news! I woke her up with my hand over her mouth and told her not to make a sound until we were out of the warehouse and she nodded her understanding. I tried to hide my smile as we exited, but I couldn't, and Hermione knew that I was planning something. As the two of us made our exit from the warehouse and entered the alley, she finally spoke her mind.

"Harry, you look like you're about to burst with excitement. Now tell me what's happened." She had her hands on her hips and looked awfully motherly for a girl of her age, and I couldn't help but to giggile in response.

"Why do you think I brought you out here, 'Mione! Of course I plan to tell you!" I said, purposely not telling her my news in order to make her even more frustrated.

"Boys! I swear! You and Jackson are the absolute worst!" She said as she threw her hands up in defeat. "If you plan to tell me then out with it, or I'm going back to sleep."

I smiled even wider than before. "Celeste told me there is a store. A magic store...real magic. Not like the fake magic store on the corner for magicians. This is a store for witches and Wizards. And this store has a book... a book of spells. And do you know what one of the spells does?" I paused.

Hermione's eyes had grown larger than I had ever seen them. She moved closer to me and took both of my hands into hers, pulling them to her chest. "Do tell me!" She said, boucing up and down like a child in a candy store.

"A spell to make you and me real siblings. Blood siblings." I answered as Hermione gasped.

"Really, truely? Siblings for real?" She said as I nodded. "How can we find this place? This book?" Hermione asked.

"Celeste has agreed to take us." I said as Celeste, who had learned to understand English though she could not speak it, slithered out from under my shirt sleeve. "Tell us where to go, Celeste." I said in English so that Hermione would have some idea as to what was going on.

 _'Down that street on the corner there is a place called the Leaky Cauldron. That is where you must go first."_

I relayed this information back to Hermione as we began to walk wherever Celeste directed us.

"How do you suppose Celeste knows so much?" Hermione asked when a sign that stated in faded letters, "The Leaky Cauldron" came into view.

I shrugged in response and looked down at Celeste. "Perhaps she knows other wizards. Maybe someone else who can talk to her like I can."

Celeste remained oddly quiet throughout the exchange, almost as if she couldn't hear us, though I knew she could.

We entered the building and looked around. Half of the inhabitants were passed out drunk, and the other half were too drunk to notice. The one man who seemed intrigued by us was the man behind the counter.

"Can I help you, children?" He asked, suddenly stopping his task of wiping down counters to look at us. Celeste slithered out of sight as we turned around to face him. Neither of us knew exactly what to say so we stared for an uncomfortable amount of time until Hermione broke the silence.

"We are looking for our parents. They told us to meet them at the bookstore." Hermione said, confidently. The man nodded in response and seemed to take in our appearances.

We must not have looked very good. While Sallie always did her best at providing us with clothes and food, she sometimes struggled with finding ways to keep us clean. The clothes that we had on were old, ripped, and hadn't been washed in a good two weeks. We definately didn't look like the kind of children who would have parents in a book store, if we had parents at all.

"There's a book store down the street. I'd try there." He said, continuing his cleaning while watching us out of the corner of his eye.

Hermione and I looked at eachother for a brief second before I decided that it would be my turn to speak. "With all due respect, sir. That's not the kind of book store my parents would be in. It doesn't have the kind of book that they need." He looked up again, this time seeming to stare at me more intently. His gaze traveled from my clothes to my face, and then back to my clothes again. When suddenly, his gazed ended on my forehead. He moved his hand as if to touch it, but I quicky dodged and Hermione came to my side defensively.

"Please, sir. Show us to the book store." Hermione said, a fierce protectiveness taking over her that I had never seen before.

The man seemed to step back and switch his gaze between the two of us. He put the rag down and began walking towards the back. He motioned for us to follow but we stayed put until I heard a very low hiss from Celeste telling us to go. So we did. The man lead us to a brick wall and used an odd stick to open it, showing an entire area of the city that we had never seen before. We knew better than to seem shocked though, so we just thanked the man and went on our way.

Shops lined every corner and the streets were polluted with people walking in odd dresses and fancy hats. The sounds of people talking and animals squaling were overbaring, but we kept walking until I heard Celeste tell me to stop and turn. I turned so abruptly that I had to jerk Hermione by the arm to get her to follow me. The road that lay before us was dark and dingy, full of people that we blended in with more than before. Gone were the fancy dresses. These people had dresses of the same style, but they were torn and tattered. The place seemed to be so ominous that smoke seemed to emerge from every crevice. Hermione and I refused to let our nervousness show as we were being watched from all directions. Instead we allowed Celeste to guide us and moved confidently, as if we knew where we were going.

" _Here"_ She said as we came across a store with a book in the window entitled, "Blood Rituals and other barbaric tendencies." Celeste slithered across my neck, " _This book has what you need."_ Hermione and I looked at the name of the store briefly before walking in. The sign said, "Cobb and Webb's: Finest shop in Knockturn Alley", but we didn't have time to wonder what these things meant. All we knew is that we were getting this book.

No matter the cost.


	7. The Book

The book

We must have stood out immediately as we entered. The store was a nice addition to the creepy alley outside, but everything was clean and polished. There were shelves lined with objects fancier than I had ever seen, yet here were two poor, orphaned, children with nothing more that the clothes on their backs and a pocket full of pick-pocketed money trying to look like they belonged. The store was empty barring two people, the store owner and a shockingly blonde man who looked more like a woman. Me and Hermione were holding hands out of fear, but we kept our faces calm. We had learned on the streets not to show emotions when being chased, beaten, or bothered, because that encouraged people to keep going. So Hermione and I walked up to the counter and pretended we belonged.

"We want that book there. The one in the window. How much is it?" Hermione asked. Her voice not wavering at all.

The man seemed to take in our appearances just as the man at the pub had done, except this man's face turned into a cold, hard, sneer. "We don't sell nothin' to the likes of you, mudbloods." He said laughing while the man browsing the shelves snickered.

I didn't know what a "mudblood" was, but I knew it was bad and I was infuriated that someone would insinuate that my sister was anything less that the angelic witch that she was, so I responded in the only way that I knew possible. A way that would change my life forever, though I didn't know it at the time. Most children on my age would have taken the hint and went on defeated but I wanted that book at any cost. I wanted my sister to be my sister for all eternity in blood, so that no one could ever take her away. And the only thing standing in the way was this man. So I raised my voice to as loud as possible without actually screaming and I spoke. "How dare you insinuate such a thing!" Hermione got the hint and played along, her face showing more anger than confusion.

This called the man behind the counter and the blonde man to stop and look at eachother with raised eyebrows. "Alright," the man behind the counter stated as the blond man walked closer to us. "If you ain't mudbloods, then what's your surnames?" He said. He leaned across the counter, getting his face uncomfortably close to mine. My heart rate spiked, something that Celeste picked up on, and sensing a threatening situation chose this moment to make herself known.

" _Tell them speaker, tell them your name."_ She said as she slithered up around my shoulders, making herself large enough to wrap around my waist a couple times. Both men were obviously taken back by this slightly, and the man behind the counter took a step back.

"Potter." I said.

Silence followed.

It was an odd sort of staring competition between the four of us. For some reason, my name was well known. I wasn't going to wonder why at this time because it could be our saving grace, so Hermione and I stood still and strong while we waited for whatever reaction would come next.

"Prove it." The man behind the counter said, roughly. "Let us see that scar of yours." He pointed to my forehead.

I didn't know why people knew I had that scar. I have had the scar since I could remember, and always assumed uncle had given it to me in one of his usual beatings, but I moved my hair out of the way and let them see it.

"Well I'll be damned," The man said, leaning against the counter as if he could no longer find the strength to stand.

For the first time the blond man spoke, "I shall buy the book for young Mr. Potter. After all", the blonde man paused to look and the man behind the counter directly in the eyes. "He is the savior of the wizarding world, and it is absolutely the least I could do. Is it not, Mr. Webb?"

The man behind the counter, Mr. Webb, nodded. "Aye, something like that." he muttered as he went to gather the book from its proud place in the window display. "Why Harry Potter would ever need a book on blood rituals..." Mr. Webb said, seemingly to himself as he walked back to the counter.

"Yes, why indeed." the blonde man said as he placed a couple of bottles on the counter for himself.

I watched the transaction with even more confusion, knowing that I had never given my first name and hearing myself be referred to as the savior of the wizarding world. I had only just discovered the wizarding world and I saw no way that I had saved it. But I did not let my confusion show, and instead I accepted the book from the blonde man and even allowed him to escort Hermione and I out of the store. Once we were outside, where it seemed the sun had set rather quickly and the only other person was passed out on the sidewalk, the man turned and extended his hand.

"Lucius Malfoy" He said.

I took his hand reluctantly. "Harry Potter, of course, you knew that." My response earned I slight smile from this man...Lucius Malfoy. Whatever sort of name that was. "And my sister, Hermione Potter." I said motioning to Hermione. I had never referred to Hermione with my last name before, but considering the weight that being a Potter had, I assumed it was a smarter move than saying Grainger. Hermione went along effortlessly.

"Pleasure", she said, putting her hand out for him to shake as well.

"Ah yes, I see." He said, shaking her hand almost as reluctantly as I had shook his, if not more so. "I must say, Mr. Potter, I was unaware you had any family survive the war." he said, looking between me and Hermione.

I didn't know what war he was talking about, but I knew that I was a sort of celebrity in this world, that much I had deducted on my own, and I knew that no one knew who Hermione was. It would seem odd, I knew. Especially if I supposedly had an entire family die in a war. I tried to think of something to say, but Hermione, in all her grace and glory, beat me to it.

"The best secrets are the ones which are kept, Mr. Malfoy." She said, smiling sweetly.

Sometimes I loved Hermione Grainger...Hermione Potter. My secret sister.

Mr. Malfoy seemed taken back by this answer, but also thoughtful. "Indeed Miss Potter, indeed." And with that statement he walked away, leaving Celeste to guide us home.

Hermione held the book to her body with a fierceness that said, "If you so much as look at this book, I will cut you", and of course no one wanted to bother the boy with a snake wrapped around his entire torso, so we were lucky to make it back to the fancy alley without any troubles. That is when Celeste shrunk back to pocket size and Hermione and I went back into normal world.

We both wondered if we would ever see that nice man again.


	8. The Blood Ritual

The Blood Ritual  
When Hermione and I got back to the warehouse, we were as exhausted as two people had ever been. We hid the book under the blanket that we shared and fell asleep almost immediately, both of us dreaming of the wonder events tomorrow would hold. The fact that the nice man, Lucius I remembered is name was, had offered to buy the book for us, Hermione and I still had enough money to buy the stamps, envelopes, and five candles for the ritual that Celeste had described. The knife, I figured could be borrowed. We knew Jackson had one, though he and Sallie were adamant that he didn't. But we could get it, I knew we could.

The next morning seemed to come in an instant, and when we awoke Sallie had already gone searching for breakfast and Jackson was watching Gretchen make a toy out of a stick. Hermione and I moved closer to each other, creating a wall that Jackson and Gretchen could not see through with our bodies alone, and pulled the book out from under the covers gently, like we were picking up a new born baby. Celeste had immediately noticed us grab the book from her place high in the rafters, so she slithered down to help aid us in finding the right spell to perform.  
The book was hundreds of pages long, and each page held a new spell. Celeste could not read English, despite having learned to speak it, so I would read off the names of each spell until Celeste said that we had come to the right one. It was very obvious when we found it though, as the page with the correct spell was titled, "Familia Rituali" And even though I spoke no Latin, it seemed to be easily translatable. Celeste had been correct and thorough when she told us what we would need. The book, the candles, and a knife seemed to be the only things required for something that would change the lives of Hermione and I forever.

I shoved the book under my shirt and went to the roof, where we would be alone in order to perform the ritual and spell without being witnessed, while Hermione went to convince Jackson to let us borrow his supposedly non-existent knife and buy the candles. A couple minutes passed and I began to give up hope that Jackson was going to hand the knife over, but then Hermione's head popped through the opening that led to the roof, followed by an arm wielding a knife and another a paper bag with five candles. I smiled largely as we read through the directions.

As we read, our faces paled. It was not as simple as saying some words and then letting the magic happen. Hermione was to lay flat on the ground, arms and legs extended. One candle was to be placed and the end of both feet, both hands, and at the top of her head. I would have to slit my wrist and then Hermione's while she lay unmoving. I would mix Hermione's blood with my own while dropping drops of our mixed blood into each candle. As each drop fell I would recite the words, "Sanguis tuus erit meus." If the candles began to glow red then the ritual had been done correctly. Celeste warned that Hermione's appearance may change as well, become more like a Potter, if it went as planned.

I looked at Hermione and she looked at me. "Are you sure you want to do this?" I asked her, putting my hand on hers. she nodded in response.  
"I'm ready." She said as she lay down, extending her arms and legs as the pictures had shown. I took the candles and placed them in the proper areas, when it occurred to me that we had no way to light them. I was about to announce this, when they appeared to light themselves. I was shocked and froze, but realized I had to continue. I took the knife and slit my wrist, not deeply but enough to bleed out, and then began to do so to Hermione.

"Wait!" She said, and I stopped. The knife hovering just above her. "Don't cut too deep. I don't want to die."

"If I killed you it would defeat the point." I said, and sliced cleanly and quickly. Hermione let out a little hiss, but that was the only indication that she had felt any pain.

I continued the ritual as directed and took her blood and my own and mixed it on my wrist. I dropped a drop into each candle and repeated the spell all while Celeste watched. As the last drop fell nothing happened. I began to worry that we had done something wrong, or that perhaps we weren't as magical as we thought, when the candles began to glow red. But not just the candles, Hermione as well. Hermione let out the loudest scream I had ever heard, and I tried to reach for her, but Celeste made herself grow thick and long, blocking my way.

" _You never said this would be painful_!" I said, my eyes never leaving Hermione's screaming face.

 _"Of courssse it iss painful! Her blood is changing_!" Celeste answered, as if it was the most obvious thing in them world.

In reality, it should have been obvious. But Hermione and I were just children, almost eleven, and we had no magical experience at all.

It only lasted a few seconds, but it felt like hours before the red flames stopped and Hermione stopped screaming. She saw up quickly and turned to look at me. I couldn't help but gasp. She really had changed to look more like me. She still looked like Hermione, but her hair had gone two shades darker and her eyes from brown to the same green as mine. Everything else had remained the same. I ran towards her and pulled her into the tightest hug I had ever given.

"I think it worked, Harry!" She said, her voice sounding breathless. All I could do was nod and cry of happiness in response. I finally had a sister, a real sister. And tomorrow was her eleventh birthday. Tomorrow she would get her letter and the first chapter of our new lives would begin. We had already successfully performed magic, and while I didn't know it at the time that ritual was proof of our abnormally strong powers, so we knew we would be accepted to the magic school. We just had to wait til tomorrow.

It was in this blood covered, emotion fueled hugging state that Jackson found us. Hermione's screams had alerted him to our location. He popped his head through the opening and looked at our situations. "I dunno what you did. But I didn't see nothin'." He said as he slinked back down.  
Celeste, who had returned to her normal pocket sized state, was the next to go back into the warehouse in search for mice, leaving Hermione and I alone. We smiled at each other and Hermione summed up all our thoughts in one sentence.

"That was amazing. Painful, but fulfilling."

And I nodded.


	9. The Owl, The Bank, and the Man, OH MY!

The Owl, The bank, and the man, Oh My!

The next morning, quite unexpectedly, a barn owl flew in from the rooftop opening. It perched itslef on the rafters, a safe distance from Celeste, and we thought nothing of it. It watched us intently for a few seconds, and then dropped two pieces of paper from its beak. I went to pick them up and noticed that they were adressed to a "Mr. Harry Potter" and a "Ms. Hermione Potter." My heart fluttered knowing there were out magic letters and that Hermione was officially of my blood. Officially a Potter.

Sallie and Jackson were still sleeping, so I woke up Hermione with a hand over her face yet again, and handed her the letter slowly. Her eyes widened as we scrambled to get the paper, pen, and envelopes we had hidden under an empty flower pot on the roof. Once we recieved the items, we looked at each other, smiling brightly, and opened out letters at the same time. I read my letter out loud, while Hermione read hers silently.

"Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Headmaster: Albus Dumbledor (Order of Merlin, First class, Grand Sorc., Chf Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International confed. of Wizards) Dear Mr. Potter, We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. Term begins on 1 Sept. We await your owl no later than 31 July. Yours sincerely, Minerva McGonagall, Head Mistress."

Once I'd finished, Hermione and I looked at eachother and read the supplies list. We knew we couldn't afford all of it, but we were determined to go to the wizarding school anyway. So we quickly responded, Hermione remembering to add a question about Jackson still being elligable to attend, and then we held our letters and thought. We didn't know where to send them to. The owl jumped down and landed on the table as I remembered the section about awaiting our owls, so I pushed the letter towards the owl and she put it in her beak. I turned to Hermione, " It's worth a shot." I said, shrugging. She nodded and did the same as the owl flew off towards it's next destination.

"I wonder how it is that we got our letters at the very same time." Hermione asked. I shrugged in response.

"It may be the fact that we were both in the same place and the owl just thought it would be easier to deliver both." We seemed satisfied with that answer, but I was so deep in thought that it actually frightened me when Celeste spoke.

" _You may have some money, speaker_. _If not, the school could help."_ Celeste had slithered down to my feet. I looked at her curiously.

" _You mean like scholarships?"_ I asked and Celeste appeared to nod. I relayed this information to Hermione and her eyes, her now green eyes, lit up like a lightbulb.

 _"Firssst you must go to Gringottsss. It'ss a bank for people like you. They can help."_ And with that Celeste hopped back into my pocket again, prepared to lead the way.

We went to the same pub as before, the leaky cauldron, and asked that same man to lt us back into the alley. The man must have remembered us because he did so with only one weary glance and without saying much of anything. The alley itslef was a bit busier than we had remembered. There were more children our age probably trying to find their school supplies as well. Some of them were in regular clothes like Hermione and I, but most were in those weird dresses.

Celeste guided us quickly to where we needed to go. A large crooked building loomed in front of us, and we climbed the stairs quickly. We tried not to stare at the weird creatures that appeared to be opperating the bank as we made out way up to the nearest available bank teller. He glared at us through his glasses. "Name, please." He said. Glaring at us. "Harry Potter and Hermione Potter." I said automatically. Luckily, no one over heard us. The creature brought out a piece of paper and a knife. Explained to us what a blood test was and requested we perform it. We obliged and the paper glowed with both of our names. Hermione smiled once again at seeing her name as Hermione Potter.

"Hello, Mr. Potter. Miss Potter." We heard from behind us as the creature left to get a key. We turned around to find Lucius Malfoy and a child around out age who looked strikingly like him.

"Hello, Mr. Malfoy." I responded as Hermione nodded respectfully. "And who is this with you?" I looked at the boy as I asked this question. It was obvioulsy his son and he was obviously taken back by our appearances. I must not look at all like my celebrity status would imply.

"My son. Draco Malfoy." He said, putting his hand on the young boys back. The boy, Draco Malfoy, didn't seem to react at all. So Lucius slapped his back a bit harder than neccisary.

"Sorry." He said, directed towards his father. "Pleasure to meet you both. Father told me he met you earlier this week." He said awkwardly, looking at our clothes as if he'd smelled something bad.

"Indeed, we did have the pleasure of meeting him." I said smiling sweetly.

"Childern" Mr, Malfoy said, getting the attention of all three of us. "I saw you walk into Gringotts and thought that perhaps you three would like to do your school shopping together." He looked between the three of us. Draco looked like he wanted to protest, but Lucius squeezed his shoulder and he said nothing. "Of course we will get you all proper school robes and perhaps some dress robes first." He said, smiling at Hermione and I.

"Sounds lovely." Hermione said while I was still processing.

The boy, Draco, didn't want to be seen with us because of our clothes. I couldn't be too upset though, as if I were in his position I would not want to be seen with myself either. I looked at this man who had been nice to us despite our appearances, and took a risk. I asked a question I had been too scared to ask anyone else.

"Mr. Malfoy, sir. I have never had any experience with Wizarding money. I'm not sure how much I shall need for Hermione and I." I stated. Mr. Malfoy's face seemed to show momentary confusion before he responded slowly and carefully.

"I see, I would recommend 600 Galleons if you would like to get the best supplies possible for yourself and your sister." He said, he looked around as if trying to make sure no one was listening in before he made his next statement. "If I remember my conversions correctly, that is around 2000 pounds. But I am not the one who told you that."

Throghout the entire exchange, Draco remained silent, simply staring at Hermione and I. Hermione stared back, gaze unwavering. It was at this moment the creature returned.

"Go ahead and follow the Goblin to your family vaults, children. Draco and I will be anxiously awaiting your return." Mr. Malfoy said, smiling in a way that was sweet and creepy. Hermione and I followed the Goblin and were absolutely astonished at the amount of money we had as potters. Over two hundered thousand Galleons. We took out a bit more that Mr. Malfoy recomended and left with 400 galleons each. When we got back to the lobby the pair of Malfoys was waiting for us as promised.

"Alright children, let us get you some proper wizarding clothes fit for a pureblood." The four of us smiled at each other and began our new adventure.


	10. Dumbledore

Dumbledore

On the night that one Harry Potter went missing, Albus Dumbledore, headmaster of Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardy, was sitting alone at his desk and filling out paper work in regards to next school year. His long beard hitting the desk in front of him as he wrote with a fine, black quill.

It was Arabella Figg, an old squib who lived next door to the young saviour that first reported anything a miss. Her head poked through the headmaster's fireplace. He had given her a handfull of Floo powder in case of an emergency, and in the six years since Harry had been at the Dursley's she had never used it. Owls had been exchanged of course, telling details like Harry's apparent love for gardening and how he seemed to be very antisocial. He was small for his age so he must have a fast motabilism...at least that is what Albus told Arabella Figg when she voiced her concerns. Albus knew of Harry's treatment and he encouraged it. He wanted to seem like a hero when it came time for Harry to join them at Hogwarts.

"Ah, Arabella. I trust there is something important you must tell me." He said as he continued his writing. Arabella was a good meaning woman, but she was horrible at overexaggerating the most mundane of situations, and this paperwork was very important. He hardly even noticed when Arabella began speaking.

"He's gone Albus. And so are the Dursley's. I was doing my shopping and when I returned the house was empty. Not a soul. That is very unlike them, they never take Harry anywhere and always leave him with me." Arabella said, her voice shaking with concerned for the poor child.

Albus rolled his eyes. "Well, surely they could not have left him with you if you were not there Arabella." He said. If he had bothered to look up from his paperwork, he may have seen Arabella's distraught face, he may have come through the Floo and taken a look at the Dursley residence. He may have noticed the giant lock on the front door that was placed on the outside and read "Property of the City of London", he may have realized that something in his great plans had gone terribly wrong. But he did not even glance up from his papers. "Tell me if they don't come back by tomorrow, Arabella. I'm sure Mister Potter is just fine with his relatives." Then the Floo went dead and the call ended. Albus sighed as he continued.

It was exactly 24 hours later that he got another Floo call from the woman. This time, she began speaking immediately.

"I'm running low on Floo powder Albus, but you need to come here now. They never returned and the house is being overrun with police." She said right as the line went dead. This stopped Albus in his tracks. Police? That was never good.

He stood up slowly, his old bones creeking and cracking, and then threw Floo powder into the fireplace and went straight to Arabella Figg's residence. It was then that he noticed she wasn't exaggerating and police seemed to be searching every inch of the house. He made is way toward the nearest policeman and used a worldess spell to compel the man to answer his questions. "Where is the boy that lived here?" He asked.

The man's eyes glazed over. "The fat one was taken to a new home. The little one was taken to the hospital. Probably won't live through the night." He said, voice monotone due to the spell that Albus had cast.

Albus released the spell and turned to Arabella. "Where are the nearest hospitals, my dear?" And Arabella answered. Thus, began the four hour search to find Harry Potter.

And Harry Potter was found. A nurse was placed at the hospital to keep watch until he woke up from his coma, at which time Albus was going to make sure Harry got put in a home that was just as bad as the Dursleys, except this time he would place a spell preventing them from killing the boy. It was true that Albus had known of abuse, but the extent he was unsure of. And he was horrified. Not because he cared for the boy, but because his chances of winning the war and having a sacraficial lamb had almost been completely irradicated.

It was when Harry Potter woke up again, years later, that things took a turn for the worse. He was supposed to be in the hospital for weeks doing physical therapy, but the boy healed remarkably fast. No doubt due to his magic. But this left Albus Dumbledore with almost no time to find new guardians for the boy. On the day that this new family was supposed to pick him up, he went missing again. Ran away, the nurse said.

And this time, they could not find Harry Potter. Tracking spells did not work because they did not have any of Harry's hair, and all the spies that Dumbledore set out around muggle London reported no one who looked like the savior. He had people watching for months, though, and of course he would occasionally get reports of a street kid or two who looked like Harry Potter, but after the first two leads led to nothing, he stopped checking and gave up hope. The boy was probably dead and when he did not show up for Hogwarts, the world would know.

Years later, when the enchanted quill began to write names for the upcoming school year, Albus Dumbledore watched intently. He normally allowed the quill to work in peace, but this time he was waiting. Waiting for one name. When the quill wrote that name, he practically jumped for joy and ran to the Floo to firecall Severus. If he had waited at the quill just one second longer, he would have seen the name "Hermione Potter" written down as well and been very concerned, but as it was, he stood up and looked away before that could happen.

Severus Snape was very annoyed. He was placed as a look out in Diagon Alley to look for the savior as he bought is school supplies. Fantastic. Of course he saw Harry immediately. He recognized his eyes, Lily's eyes, but he had not expect the Saviour to be holding hands with a young girl who also shared those same eyes. So he watched as they went into Gringotts and he jumped like a school girl when his good friend, Lucius Malfoy, startled him from behind.

"I see you've noticed Harry and Hermione Potter, Severus." He said as he watched the children enter also. The two shared a look, and Severus knew what it meant. The old man was not to know about this.

So when Severus returned he stated that he had indeed seen the saviour in good health, and that he was being helped by a respectable wizarding family so Albus need not worry. He would be at Hogwarts at the start of term.

Almost all of that was true, Severus realized as he began walking towards his potions lab. Potter did appear to be in good health and he had last seen him shopping for robes with the malfoy family, laughing and making jokes with Draco like they were long lost friends. Harry would be there when term started, Lucius had assured him of that. But one thing was a lie.

Albus Dumbledore most definitely should have been worried.


	11. Draco Malfoy and Ronald Weasley

Draco Malfoy and Ronald Weasley

After Hermione and I were fitted for what we were told were proper wizarding robes, Draco Malfoy became much less disgusted with being seen with is in public. We went from shop to shop, collecting our school books and supplies, ending lastly at the pet store.

The first thing I noticed was that the pet store proudly displayed owl, rats, and cats, while the snakes and other reptiles, as few as their selection offered, were pushed into a back corner almost dismissively. I felt Celeste tense around my ankle as if she could sense the presence of her caged bretheren. Draco and Hermione seemed unconcerned and were currently gawking over the owls while Draco explained the importance of the owl to a wizard.

"You see, Hermione, owls are how people can send you presents and mail and such." He said.

The Malfoys had very quikcly picked up on the fact that Hermione and I had not been raised in wizarding culture. Something that Mr. Malfoy called, "An shame and a travesty. A brutal attack on wizarding kind for the saviour to be raised by muggle filth." I did not like that Mr. Malfoy referred to Sallie and Jackson as "muggle filth", but when I explained that Jackson had indeed recieved a Hogwarts letter and had not gotten to go, he resigned to saying that, "mudbloods were slightly better, I suppose...and who are Sallie and Jackson?" It was then that the conversation had led us to a small icecream shop where Hermione and I explained our situations to the Malfoys. Normally, I would have lied to protect Sallie and Jason, but I felt like I could trust this family which had been nothing but kind to me despite the fact I had just met them. Draco, it seemed, was more than willing to be our friend now that we looked like a proper witch and wizard. And it was a friendship I was more that willing to accept since he seemed keen on getting us caught up in wizarding culture. After the icecream shop Draco suggested that Hermione and I buy an owl to keep in touch with him, and we readily agreed.

When we left, we had a beautiful snowy owl in hand whom I named Hedwig. It was as we were walking out that the trouble began.

"Move Malfoy." We heard from behind us. The voice was childish and whining, and I immediately hated it.

"Weasley." Draco responded, standing tall and trying to make his presence beam over the small "Weasley" boy's frame.

Weasley looked just about as bad off as Hermione and I had before Mr. Malfoy had shown us which robes were designer and the most in style for wizarding families. Obviously those were the ones we purchased, and we now looked as pureblood as any pureblood ever had. This Weasley boy, looked the opposite. His face was dirty his clothes too large and stained. Not only that, but they were muggle style clothes. Something that I had hardly seen since the Malfoys had shown Hermione and I all the respectable places to shop for someone of our statis. (Mr. Malfoy said that even though we were half-bloods technically, Lily Evans was distantly related to the Shafiq family from an affair in the 1930's before the Shafiq line died out completely and therefore we could claim titles to to both Potter and Shafiq making us Purebloods on technicality. And I was not going to complain however flawed that logic seemed to me.) So when Mayfoy sneared at the small boy, Hermione and I took a step back. We had to observe the interaction to see if the Weasley boy was someone worth our time.

"You're in our way. You're in the middle of the street." The Weasley boy said. And in fact, we were standing in the center of a walk way. But I saw no reason why he could not walk around us like the rest of the public did. Him and what I assumed were his little sister if looks were anything to go by.

"Go around us, Weasley. We aren't going to move for Muggle loving flith like you." Draco said and I immediately gathered information. This, "Weasley" boy was from a family that appreciated...perhaps even thought muggles as equal. Hermione and I were new to the wizarding world and saw no reason that muggles were inferior, a view that we had yet to voice to the Malfoys for fear they would leave us on the street with no way back to Muggle London. As I was about to speak up, Mr. Malfoy spoke.

"Now Draco. There is no need for that here." And in a moment Mr. Malfoy was back with his hand on Draco's shoulder, a motion that Hermione and I had decided was controling and not at all out of fatherly love.

As the Malfoys and the Weasleys sat in the street I realized that people were taking sides that werent even in on the conversation. Wizarding Brittain was divided. Hermione and I shared a look and decided then and there that we would fix that. The only question was which side were we on?


	12. Jackson's Betrayal

Jackson's Betrayal

After spending all day in the Wizarding World, going back to the warehouse was a wake up call. Sallie was sitting at the entrance, waiting on us with hands on her hips and needing explanations. Where had we been? What were we wearing? Why did we have an owl? Where did all this come from? And of course we answered her questions honestly and quickly. After all, she knew about magic from Jackson, who was gawking over all of our supplies with Hermione while Gretchen slept. After keeping all of our supplies as hidden as possible, Hermione and I went to sleep as well, leaving Jackson and Sallie to discuss whatever they needed to on their own.

The next morning we awoke to Jackson's cheerful cries. He had recieved a letter as well, no doubt due to Hermione mentioning him in her acceptance letter, and asked us to take him shopping for his school supplies. Less than an hour later, Hermione and I were in Diagon Alley again. It was just as cheerful as we remembered it, with kids and family bustling about and shop owners advertising new products in front of their buildings, but without the Malfoys there to guide us, is seemed horribly big and confusing. Hermione, Jackson, and I stayed close together as we tried to find all the things Jackson would need. The goblins of Gringotts had informed us that the school did have a scholarship for muggleborn students, but that it did not cover school supplies, so I offered to buy Jackson everything he needed and he was extremely grateful. Now that Hermione and I knew the basics of where everything was, the shopping lasted only a couple of hours and we were sitting at the same icecream parlor eating with Jackson as we had with Draco.

"What do you know about Hogwarts?" Jackson asked us. He was sitting and eating a chocolate icecream cone, being very careful not to get it on his newly purchased wizard robes. His robes were not as nice as mine and Hermione's, even though I had offered to buy him the exact same ones. Instead, he opted to buy the cheaper versions of almost everything, claiming that it wasn't his money to spend.

"We only know what our friend told us." Hermione answered, eating a Vanilla cone of her own. "That there are four houses and each have different values and stuff." Hermione paused, as if thinking of something extremely importnant. "Can the three of us make a promise?" She asked, glancing back and forth between Jackson and I. We looked at eachother briefly before responding.

"Of course." I said honestly. "What is it?"

She nodded before speaking again. "Promise that even if we end up in different houses, we will stick together." She looked us in the eyes as she spoke as if to stress the importance of her words. Jackson and I immediately responded with words of affirmation, and let her know that it would take death to seperate us. We had been together for years and we depended on each other just like every other family would.

Hermione made eye contact with me and I nodded in silent understanding. Muggleborn or not, we could not hate Jackson. He was our brother just as much as we were brother and sister, and we would protect him prejudice be damned.

But still, we did not care for muggles.

It was a conversation that Hermione and I had that night while trying to fall asleep, and we both readily agreed that muggles were not favorable. They had left us to our own, mere children to look after themselves or be looked after by another child. They were self serving and cared about getting their way. In all of our years on the streets, not one muggle had shown us kindness like Mr. Malfoy and his son had. Sure, Sallie and Jackson had taken us in, but Jackson was a Muggleborn. A wizard as well. And surely Sallie had some magic in her to have a magical sibling, even if it wasn't enough to be considered a witch. And it was that night and that day in Diagon Alley when our paths were already chosen. We knew who we were fighting for.

We were not on the side of the Light, for we did not believe muggles to be equal to us. We were not on the side of the dark, for we did not have a distain for Muggleborn magicals. We were Gray and we thought we would stay that way.

After that the three of us often went to Diagon alley to look around and talk on the days leading up to our departure to Hogwarts, and Jackson had met and made friends with a few wizard kids as well. When he mentioned becoming friends with a yound boy named Ron, we thought nothing of it. The more he described Ron, though, the more annoying he seemed. Jackson said he spoke of a game called quidditch but that he spoke so fast Jackson could hardly follow anything. And apparently, he spoke so much that Jackson could hardly get a word in at all. When we pointed out that their friendship sounded quite one sided, Jackson got angry.

"You two have your friend, let me have mine." And with that he dissappeared.

Sallie was distraught. For days she looked up and down every street and screamed his name, but she couldn't find him. Hermione and I took to Diagon Alley and Knockturn Alley to try to find him as well, but we had no better luck than Sallie did. When days turned into weeks, Sallie gave up. She wasn't the same person after losing Jackson and hardly ever smiled, even when Gretchen did something funny. So when the day came for Hermione and I to leave, we were rightfully outraged to find Jason waiting on the platform and laughing with the boy who we remembered as, "Weasley". Pretending like he hadn't been a missing person for almost two months.

Hermione marched over the Jackon quickly and I followed. He saw us coming and his face changed briefly into something that looked like regret before the Weasley boy said something else that made him smile. His smile faultered slightly when Hermione and I reached him. We had put on faces of indifference because we did not want him to know how much his betrayal had hurt us. There was only one thing we wanted him to know.

"Sallie is distraught." Hermione said. Jackson looked sad for a moment, but the moment was gone almost immediately as the Weasley boy decided to speak.

"Who is Sallie?" He asked, looking between the three of us confused. "Who are you?" He asked, directed to Hermione and I, almost as if we were an after thought. And I suppose we were.

"The answer to both questions is simple." Jackson started. He turned away from us as if he couldn't bare to look at us while speaking his next words but he had to say them. "They are no one important." And then they walked away and taught Hermione and I two valuable lessons.

Friendship can be fleeting and meaningless to someone. Someone can care so little and pretend to care so much. And muggles, and perhaps muggleborns, seemed to lack something that we had. Respect and integrity. Perhaps the Malfoys weren't all wrong. And when I looked at my sister and saw her trying to hold back tears, I knew which side I was on. I was on whatever side didn't cause her pain. And I was ready to irradicate anything or anyone that ever hurt her again.


	13. The Train Ride and the Slytherins

The Train Ride and the Slytherins

I pulled Hermione into a hug as Jackson walked away. It wasn't much, but it was all I could do without drawing unneccisary attention to ourselves. She hugged me back fiercely and quickly before pulling me off towards the train. We looked around us as we walked, looking for signs of the Malfoy family but finding none. That was until our eyes were blinded with a flash of bright blonde running towards us at full speed, knocking people over as it moved.

"I can't believe you haven't written me for almost three weeks." The blonde blurr said when it got close enough for us to hear it. He said it with a smile, however. He hadn't written us either as he was making his last minute preperations for Hogwarts while we were out searching for Jackson. "That is rightfully unacceptable." He finished as he came to a stop in front of us.

"Oh hush you." Hermione answered, wiping her eyes from where a single tear had fallen and trying to smile. Draco noticed this and his demeanor changed completely. He looked around at the crowd surrounding us and then motioned us to follow him onto the train.

"Come on. Let's find an empty compartment to catch up." He said. We knew what that meant. He wanted to know what was wrong but this wasn't the place to talk about it.

Hermione shook her head and motioned to our trunks. "We haven't loaded any of our things yet." She said, her voice shaking with emotion and her stare not leaving the trunks as if focusing on them were the only thing keeping her from sobbing.

Worry flashed over Draco's features but it was quickly replaced with his typical Malfoy look of indifference. A look that Draco has taken to teaching us everytime we had met up in Diagon Alley. It was the fact that we had mastered his look of indifference that concerned him so with Hermione being unable to contain her hurt on the platform.

"Don't worry. I will have a house elf take care of it. You guys just go find an empty compartment and I'll join you quickly." He said walking away. I interpreted this as Malfoy code for. "Not important, get Hermione out of public view before she ruins her reputation and public image before the school year has even begun. But don't think I don't care, I want to know what's going on." The Malfoy language was one that I was becoming good at interpreting for both Draco and his father.

So Hermione and I hopped on the train and found an empty compartment towards the back and waited for Draco. As soon as the door was closed and Hermione and I were alone, she broke out into unstoppable sobs and collapsed against my chest. I just held her as she cried, and I admittedly shed a few tears of my own, until Draco found us and opened the compartment door.

He let his Malfoy mask fall and concern was evident on his face. "What happened to Hermione?" then he looked at me as well. I didn't think it was possible, but his face became even more concerned. "Harry, are you crying, too? What's happened?" He sat down on the other side of me and attempted to hug us both. It was weird being hugged by someone who normally looked like he didn't care for anyone, even though we both knew he had a heart of gold.

"It was our brother." I said.

He looked confused at first, before realization dawned on him. "You mean that mudbl...muggleborn boy you've been living with for a couple of years?" He asked, sitting back and awaiting the rest of the story. I was secretly impressed that Draco had corrected himself from saying mudblood. It was something that we had asked him to do when we were in Diagon Alley one day. We had specifically requested that he not refer to Jackson as a mudblood, and he had obliged, even though he still used the term frequently to describe others.

"Call him mudblood, Draco." Hermione screamed, sitting up quickly and shocking the both of us. Draco's eyes went wide in shock. He had never actually heard either of us say that word and hearing Hermione scream it at the top of her lungs was probably almost heart attack inducing. Hermione took a deep breath and leaned back against her seat before continuing. "It is what he is, afterall. A mudblood." She looked out the window as the train started to move. Silence is all that filled the compartment for almost a minute before Draco finally responded.

"What the hell did he do to you?" But now his face was showing less concern and more anger. Anger that was mimiced by me. I was more angry than anything else at what Jackson had done to my sister.

I finished telling Draco the events of the past two months, starting with Jackson befriending the Weasley boy and ending with what he had done to us on the platform, and by the time I was done, Draco was up and pacing. His face had turned a shade of pink as apposed to his normal porcelain due to his anger.

He took a deep breath before he addressed us. "I told you mudbloods were bad news. They aren't like us." He said. He sat down and began to look out the window as well, something Hermione had yet to stop doing.

"I know that now." I responded letting my head it the back of the wall. "I don't think I could ever trust a mudblood again." I said, making sure to look at Draco to gage his reaction. When he looked at me we made eye contact, and his face showed the deepest sympathy I had ever seen. I was genuinely regretful that we had to go through what we did before we realized the truth.

The compartment was completely quiet for an hour after that, all of us lost in thought. Then, the compartment door opened and a boy and girl around our age walked in and addressed Draco by name.

"Oy, Draco. We've been wandering where you were." The boy said as he sat down next to Draco, followed closely by the girl.

"Oh Blaise! I wanted to sit next to Draco." The girl said, looking at Draco like he provided her breath for her.

It seemed neither of them noticed Hermione and I, and we were okay with that. We were taking the time to observe how Draco interacted with the two before we did any interaction of our own.

"Hello Blaise and Pansy, dear." He said, his Malfoy voice and mask firmly in place. "Pleasure to see you both." He finished.

"Oh come off it Draco." Blaise said, moving to ruffle Draco's hair.

"Not the hair, Blaise! Not the hair!" Draco said laughing as he changed sides of the compartment to get away. This is what caused the two to finally notice Hermione and I. When Draco looked at us I saw his mask was gone and knew that these were trusted friends. Hermione must have noticed the same thing, because she gave the two a small smile.

"Blaise and Pansy, I would like to introduce you to two of my best friends, Harry and Hermione Potter." Draco said, mock bowing and giving Hermione access to the top of his head.

"OY! I Said not the hair!" And as he fell on the floor we all laughed hysterically. Thus was the beginning more friendships.


	14. The Students Arrive

The Students Arrive.

As soon as the train pulled to a stop, we were off of it. A combination of needing to finally be on unmoving ground and excitement for seeing the school that would be our new home for the next seven years made it impossible for us to hesitate for even a second. Hermione, Blaise, Pansy, Draco, and I were huddled together in a confused mass of eleven year olds as the first years had been seperated from the upper years by the largest, hairiest man I had ever seen. He led us to some boats and told us to make sure the boats were full with no more than four per vessel. So Hermione, Draco, and I sat together with a girl who identified herself as Hannah Abbott. The three of us did not pay her much mind, and chose to speak softly to each other and ignore her existance. Pansy and Blaise had gotten into another boat and been joined by two other students who Draco informed us were Millicent Bullstrode and Theodore Nott.

The boats began to pull away, seemingly moving on their own. Hannah Abbott allowed her fascination to show, while the three of us remained still and unreacting. Hermione and I were just as fascinated as Abbott seemed, but we simply pretended to be uninterested in order to blend in with Draco. He seemed to have been expecting the boats to move on their own, and we didn't want to seem uninformed.

A fog surrounded all of the boats, so thick that it made it practically impossible to see the other boats surrounding us even though we could hear the slightly muffled voices of our peers. Their voices being the only thing letting us know that we were not drifting away. When the fog lifted, we were greeted with the largest, most grand building that we had ever seen. Even Draco allowed his mask of indifference to slip momentarily as he stared in awe of the castle before us. It had an uncountable amount of towers, all twisting up into the sky as if they were holding the clouds themselves. Every window was lit with a golden glow that seemed to add a layer of majesty to the mystery the mist created.

"The books I've read to not do this school justice." Hermione said, her mouth hanging open in amazement and her eyes glowing with excitement at all the information she could possibly learn lying just beyond those walls.

"Agreed." Draco saidm letting his mask fall back into place and turning around, though he did keep glancing over his shoulder when he thought no one was looking. I didn't blame him, it was almost as if the castle was holding us in a trance.

When the boats docked, we all continued to stare. It was only when the big hairy man returned that we all made move towards dry land. We followed him up a winding path that was steeper than a mountain and lit by dim lanterns placed on both sides. For a group of children as large as ours, it was odd that there was no talking. But a combination of amazement and fear kept the typical pre-teen gossiping at bay until we had entered a large set of double doors.

I felt a tap on my shoulder and turned to see who it was. It was a boy I had never seen beofore. He was slightly chubby and had dirty blond hair that was neatly trimmed. He seemed nervous and was looking around as if searching for something important. "Yes?" I said. Hermione and Draco looked over to see who I was talking to.

"Have you seen a toad? I appear to have lost mine." He said. I shook my head no, and as did Draco. It was Hermione's response that startled us.

"Don't worry. He's on the stairs." She said.

"Oh great! Thanks!" The young boy responded as be began pushing through people and towards the stairs.

"How did you know that, Hermione?" I asked. We were standing no where near the stairs and she would have had no way to see the toad.

"I don't know. I just...saw it there. In my head." She said.

We both turned to look at Draco, whose face of indifference still persisted except for the fact that his eyes were abnormally large.

"What is it, Draco." I asked, leaning over so others could not hear our conversation.

"Not here. Later." He said, leaning away from me slightly as to not draw attention to the fact we were having a secret conversation in a crowded room of unknown people. I accepted this and turned back to Hermione with a shrug just as an older woman in a very cliche pointed witch hat entered the room.

"First years, this way." She said, looking around the room as if searching for something important, just like the chubby kid had done earlier. Her eyes stopped when they landed on me and I saw her smile softly. She must have been looking for be because of my celebrity status and I instantly disliked her for this. She led us down the center of what she said was the great hall. Children were sat at four different tables and I realized that this must be the tables for the four houses and we were most likely about to be sorted. Hermione must have realized the same thing, for she was wringing her hands together the way she always did when she was nervous.

"First years, I am Professor McGonagall, and I will be conducting your sorting." She said, her eyes popping out of her head slightly. "When your name is called, come place the sorting hat on your head and it shall place you in the proper house." Then Professor McGonagall touched the sorting hat and it began to sing the most wretched song I had ever heard. At the end of the song, McGonagall called the first name. "Abbot, Hannah."

And thus the sorting began.

"Malfoy, Draco." The professor called. Others had been sorted before him, but he was the first person I was actually paying attention to."

"Slytherin!" The hat called out to the surprise of no one. I couldn't care less about the rest of the sorting, and jumped a bit when I heard my name called.

"Potter, Harry." I heard people whispering as I sat on the stool. The last thing I saw were people trying to get a look at me when the hat was placed on my head.

"Hmm. Difficult. Very difficult. Plenty of courage, I see. Not a bad mind either. There's talent, oh my goodness, yes — and a nice thirst to prove yourself, now that's interesting... So where shall I put you?" (The Words of JK Rowling).

I heard the words in my head and did what I thought seemed perfectly natural, I answered in my head.

"Where indeed. I think Slytherin or Ravenclaw would be best. I'm not a big studier though, not very studious. So I guess that's up to you to decide." I answered. I heard the hat laugh in my head. It was an odd thing, a hat laughing, but I ignored it and let the hat continue to think.

"I see your memories in here. Did you know that the magic you performed on your now sister is banned by the ministry?"

I knew it was using this question to gage my standing on light and dark and I answered honestly. "I don't care. I got what I wanted." I said, my thoughts showing no regret because there was none.

"I see...in that case it better be...SLYTHERIN" The last word was said loud enough for the entire hall to hear. Everyone was shocked. I thought that the entire student body was about to faint, but nothing compared to the face that McGonagall made when she read the next name.

"Potter, Hermione?" She said the name with a question mark. As Hermione walked forward, an old man with a long beard stood up and McGonagalls face paled. She sat on the stool as whispers continued, even louder than the whispers that happened while I was being sorted.

An older Slytherin who I did not know leaned towards me, "Are you related to her?" He asked me.

"My sister." I answered casually, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

When the hat screamed out Slytherin once again, the old man collapsed back into his chair and McGonagall actual had to take a seat on the stool herself to keep from falling over. Silence continued until McGonagall weakly said the next name.

"Richards, Jackson." She said. Jackson walked forwards and was on the stool for no more that two seconds when the hat yelled Gryffindor. Weasley followed him into Gryffindor soon after, and the sorting ended with Zabini into Slytherin.

"When we are alone, remind me to tell you about the thing with Hermione and the toad." Draco said, glancing around nervously as we ate. He was obviously uncomfortable with all the staring Hermione and I seemed to be warranting. So I just nodded. The three of us remained silent through the entire meal.


End file.
